Meta Records Massive Third Quarter Revenue While Pouring Billions Into

Meta Records Massive Third Quarter Revenue While Pouring Billions Into Artificial Intelligence

Meta earned $64.6 billion in the third quarter of 2026, though rising artificial intelligence expenses and workforce reductions marked the period.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 22, 2026 · 12:11 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Meta earned $64.6 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 26 percent from the previous year.

The company plans to spend between $130 billion and $145 billion on artificial intelligence in 2026.

Total staff fell to 66,775 after Meta cut 15 percent of its workforce over the past year.

India leads as the largest market for Meta by user count.

Threads now records more monthly users than X.

During the third quarter of 2026, Meta generated $64.6 billion, marking a 26 percent rise compared to the same period of the previous year. Expenses climbed by 68 percent over the same timeframe, driven largely by investments in artificial intelligence.

Applications including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp reached a combined total of 3.64 billion daily users, with India currently standing as the top market by audience size. Revenue growth also benefited from a 14 percent increase in advertising prices during the quarter.

Profit dropped by 14 percent to $15.85 billion in the previous quarter despite a 28 percent increase in revenue. Annual spending for artificial intelligence data centers and advanced chips is projected between $130 billion and $145 billion, with overall 2026 expenses expected to hit $165 billion to $169 billion.

Staff numbers dropped by 15 percent over the prior year to 66,775 employees, following the dismissal of roughly 8,000 workers in May 2026. Artificial intelligence technology continues to replace human workers rapidly as billions flow into hardware.

Unlike competitors such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, Meta keeps its artificial intelligence tools internal rather than selling them to other businesses, focusing instead on improving Facebook advertisements and the Muse chatbot. Competitors generate direct income by selling artificial intelligence services commercially, while a Morgan Stanley study indicated that most users abandon the Muse application within two weeks of downloading it.

Daily users increased by 40 million throughout the third quarter, while ad views expanded by 10 percent, showing slower growth than recent periods. Monthly users on Threads surpassed those on X, previously known as Twitter, and the Asia Pacific market led regional ad view growth with a 24 percent increase.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg identifies artificial intelligence as the primary corporate priority. The widening gap between expenditures and returns leaves pressure on the company to demonstrate tangible outcomes from its massive financial commitments.

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